President-elect Donald Trump is expected to intervene to prevent a potential U.S. ban on popular video-sharing app, TikTok.
The social media app faces a January deadline to divest from its China-based owner ByteDance and could be banned if it fails to find a U.S.-based buyer. ByteDance reportedly views Trump's election as its best chance to avoid divestment, according to the Washington Post.
Trump may seek to delay the divestment deadline or even push Congress to repeal the law requiring the sale, sources familiar with his plans say.
"He appreciates the breadth and reach of TikTok, which he used masterfully along with podcasts and new media entrants to win," Kellyanne Conway, one of Trump's close advisers, told the Washington Post.
During his first term, Trump issued an executive order aiming to ban TikTok, warning the site could enable China "to track the locations of Federal employees and contractors, build dossiers of personal information for blackmail, and conduct corporate espionage."
His stance has softened since then, frequently promising to "save TikTok" on the campaign trail.
"There are many ways to hold China to account outside alienating 180 million U.S. users each month," Conway added.
However, a move to halt the ban could face challenges. The app ban is enforced on app stores run by companies like Apple and Google, who may hesitate to rely on Trump's informal signals.
"Halting the ban without formal action might be tricky," noted Alan Rozenshtein, a former Justice Department adviser. "If you're the general counsel of Apple and [chief executive] Tim Cook turns to you and says, 'Can we host TikTok on our app stores,' you're in a very awkward position if the answer is 'Trump said we could' in a random tweet."
On Capitol Hill, bipartisan concerns persist over TikTok's ties to China. Trump's national security picks, including Secretary of State nominee Sen. Marco Rubio, have been vocal about the security risks of allowing TikTok to remain under ByteDance's control.
Still Trump appears set on defending the app where he has amassed over 14 million followers, arguing that a ban would only benefit rivals like Facebook, which he has repeatedly criticized.
"The other side is closing it up, but I'm now a big star on TikTok," Trump told followers on his own platform, Truth Social.
As of now, TikTok has not commented on Trump's reported plans.
Originally published by Latin Times.
